Introduction.
Okay, so I received the RUV3 for review, almost expecting Just Another UV Light, but am pretty impressed. Unlike the usual UF boxes with the pretty graphics, this was a thick brown box with the UF logo and pretty much that’s it. All business, no fluff. That pretty much describes the light, too.
What I received was a UV light with buttery smooth blanket of UV light, no hotspot vs spill, just a bright even field of light with so little visible leakage that I didn’t think I even had it turned on, until the beam hit something that fluoresced and lit it up like it was on fire. Or ultra-fire, haha.
The short form is that the light is 21700-powered, usb-c rechargeable, has 2 power modes (350mW and 392mW), and an exceptionally simple UI.
What’s In The Box.
Aside from the light itself of course is the UF-branded cell already preloaded, a 5000mAH 21700, a set of quite nice protective “lab glasses”, and usb-c cable.
The “goggles” are actually like lab glasses, probably polycarbonate, very slightly amber-tinted, and very effective. Shielding the beam halfway results in paper brightly fluorescing on one half, with zero reaction on the other.
The Cell And Charging.
I decided to forgo the usual capacity testing to first check the internal charging. Popped out the cell and immediately measured the cell’s voltage. 4.20V, which is absolutely spot-on!
Capacity worked out to 4757mAH on my Ope at 1A up/down, well within 5% of spec.
The UI.
Extremely simple, but might rub some people the wrong way. Click on, click to alternate between high and low, hold for off. Very Wubenesque.
Admittedly, click on/off and hold to alternate modes would’ve been better, but it’s not a dealbreaker to me.
Charging.
Extremely simple, just plug it in. The LED in the sideswitch lights up red when charging, turns green when done.
As long as the light is on, that LED indicates the charge status. Green good, red bad. 
As mentioned, charging terminates at an exact 4.20V.
Fit and Finish.
The RUV3 is a smooth semigloss black, flawless finish. No dings, voids, scratches, nothing.
Plenty of heat-dissipating notches help keep it cool, as well as provide grip.
Good solid knurling on the battery tube provide good grip and keep the light from sliding around in your hand.
The only sharp spots I can find are where notches for the lanyard tab. Everything else is nice and chamfered.
Accoutrements.
The reversible deep-carry clip is, in fact, quite deep-carry. The end loop is right at the level of the tailcap, so stick this puppy in your pocket, and nothing’s going to stick out.
The flap over the charging port fits snugly and doesn’t tend to come out. Still, I’d snip off the thin tab that can catch on clothes, etc. You’d have to pry it open with a thumbnail or somesuch, but to me that’s fine. I’d just rather not have it open up, grab on something, and possibly get ripped off. Minor minor issue, but it can work.
The Switch.
Yeah, it deserves its own section! Charging indicator, cell status indicator, power and mode selector. The button is slightly raised, and has a wonderfully solid feel. It’s stiff enough to not easily get turned on accidentally, has a great positive feel, no wiggle, and lets the LED shine through brightly.
The more I play with it, the more I like it.
The Beam.
As mentioned, the beam is a smooth blanket of UV light without a hotspot or spill, so passes through an aspheric lens. The ZWB2 filter does an incredible job filtering out visible light, that it’s easy to forget it’s on. For that reason, it was a smart decision to make sure the sideswitch light stays on for the duration.
There are two levels to the beam: 350mW and 392mW, according to what’s on the tin. True, there only seems to be marginal brightness increase going to high. Just for my own purposes, ie, longevity, I keep it to low to not stress out the LED. The more lifetime, the better. Either one is plenty bright to light up a teeshirt from across the room. But there’s that turbo boost if you need it.
Cautions!
The beam is quite powerful, and the excellent filtering can lull you to think it’s not. In just playing around with it for a little while without the goggles, I started getting a serious eyeache. Until you see something light up like it’s on fire, you might forget its power. Definitely use the goggles! They’re included, so you have zero excuse.
Conclusions.
The RUV3 is a rather amazing UV light. It’s… unique… to see a smooth even beam through an aspheric lens, vs the usual hotspot plus spill from a reflector. If looking at fluorescing samples through this beam, you can see an even fluorescence from one end to the other.
Quick note: on the UF site, it’s on sale now for 50 bux vs 68.
